Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

We collect the following information depending on how you use the game:

• Clerk account data — When you sign in with Google or another provider via Clerk, we receive your email address, display name, and profile picture URL.
• Guest session data — If you play as a guest, we generate a secure random session token stored in httpOnly cookies (guest_user_id, guest_user_key) and a hashed identifier in our database. No email is collected.
• Game statistics — ELO rating, match history (wins/losses), and game outcomes are stored in our database.
• Avatar images — Clerk-authenticated users' avatars are hosted on Clerk's CDN. Guest users who upload an avatar have it stored via Vercel Blob.
• Display name — A username you set, used on the leaderboard and in-game.

2. How We Use Your Information

• To operate the game and manage your account
• To display your rank and stats on the leaderboard
• To calculate ELO ratings and match history
• To provide customer support
• To detect and prevent abuse or cheating

We do not sell your data to third parties.

3. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services that may process your data:

• Clerk — Authentication and identity management. Subject to Clerk's privacy policy.
• Vercel — Hosting and file storage. Subject to Vercel's privacy policy.
• In-memory cache — Real-time game state is held in an ephemeral cache with a short TTL and is not persisted beyond the active session.
• Database — User accounts, match history, and ELO ratings are stored in a persistent database hosted on our infrastructure.
• Crisp — In-app chat support widget. Subject to Crisp's privacy policy.
• Error monitoring service — Anonymized error context may be captured to help diagnose issues.

4. Data Retention

• Authenticated accounts — Data is retained while your account is active. You may request deletion at any time.
• Guest accounts — Tied to browser cookies. Clearing your cookies effectively abandons the guest session. Guest data may be cleaned up after extended inactivity.
• Active game state — Stored in Redis with a 1-hour TTL; automatically expires after game completion.

5. Cookies

We use the following cookies:

• Clerk session cookies — Set by Clerk for authenticated sessions.
• Guest cookies (guest_user_id, guest_user_key) — httpOnly, secure cookies for guest authentication.

We do not use advertising or tracking cookies.

6. Your Rights

• You may update your display name and avatar in the settings at any time.
• You may request deletion of your account and associated data by contacting us.
• Guests can clear their session by deleting browser cookies.

7. Children

Alibi Game is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us.

8. Contact

For privacy-related questions or data deletion requests, open an issue on our GitHub repository.